Feeling the Holiday Slump? 7 Productivity Hacks To Get You Through the Rest of 2018

Some of us caught the itis and are still in Thanksgiving comas. Others of us are contracting Christmas fever and have bought out ASOS’s entire holiday apparel section (don’t look at me). The fact of the matter is, its hard to stay focused this time of year, and everybody knows it. Whether you’re studying up for exams or trying to hit your business’s end-of-year targets, we all have important things we need to get done and very little time to do it.

So, with Christmas and New Years right around the corner, what are the best productivity hacks people use to stay motivated and organized to finish the year out strong?

I surveyed some of the most talked about apps and articles to learn more about what’s been working. Take a look and share your best hacks in the comments below! But first, here’s an important lesson on what productivity actually looks like in the first place.

Best Apps

Trello: My coworkers endlessly rave about Trello. It is tasking managing app that gives you a 360 overview of what you’re working on and the steps required to get done. Using a system of boards, lists and cards, its basically a digital representation of the Kanban System that neatly breaks down each phase of a task: To Dos, Doing, Done.

Great for…

Managing team or individual work streams

Creating recurring task reminders

Large projects

Brainstorming

Product Development Ideation

2. Focus: Do you like to work in short sprints, then maybe get a snack, take a walk, or peruse the web? If so, then you’ll be a fan of the Focus app. This app brings the old-school Pomodoro Technique to your fingertips. The app uses a timer to break your work down into 25 minute intervals separated by short breaks. Once the user completes four 25 minute sessions, they can then take a 15-20 minute break to do whatever they want. This is definitely for those who are more on the disciplined side

Great for…

Studying or reviewing

Knocking off one-off tasks

Preventing you from getting roadblocked or stuck on a single task

3. Astro: Who else feels like assistants shouldn’t just be reserved for executives. I feel like most of us who have enough trouble transitioning into adult life could benefit from a helping hand—a virtual one that is. Astro is a virtual assistant that helps you with your email and calendar. It helps you create follow-up reminders and adds them to your calendar so you never forget to tie up that important discussion!